They arrived in Jin Yang at noon.
It was already late February, and the sunlight was gradually gaining warmth, casting a pleasantly cozy sensation on the skin. Yet, despite such fine weather and time of day, the streets of Jin Yang were sparsely populated.
"They say Jin Yang is a miniature capital, but it doesn’t seem like it now," Shaoyao mumbled, chewing on beef jerky as she lifted the carriage curtain. Her eyes wandered around curiously. She no longer needed to wear a veiled hat, and the scars on her face had faded so much they were barely noticeable at a glance.
"It probably used to resemble one, but not anymore. If Jin Yang takes a wrong turn... it could be ruined."
Shaoyao gazed indifferently outside. "Breaking before rebuilding isn’t necessarily a bad thing."
But how should this "breaking" be done? It couldn’t mean letting everyone lose everything. Once a person is consumed by the urge to gamble, they would even stake their life-saving money or sell their wife and children to feed their addiction. They would gamble until their families were destroyed, unable to control themselves.
Did they not regret it? In moments of clarity, how could they not? But when the gambling addiction took hold, they forgot even who they were—how could they remember that fleeting moment of remorse?
Poverty isn’t terrifying; hardship can be endured. It’s the spiritual destruction that truly ruins a person.
"You can’t be serious," Shaoyao exclaimed, her face a mask of shock. "Yan Ge has to handle this too? What’s the use of the Six Ministries then? What’s the point of Jin Yang’s massive government office?"
"Giving up is far easier than building. Those who should take responsibility may not necessarily do so, just like the Seven Constellation Bureau now. Strictly speaking, many matters aren’t their responsibility, yet they end up handling them anyway."
Hua Zhi rested her chin on her hand, watching the passersby outside—listless and yawning incessantly. If not for her certainty that Da Qing had no opium, she would have suspected someone had created the substance. "But there are so many people in Jin Yang. They’ve merely become pawns in someone’s scheme—how innocent they are."
Shaoyao leaned against Hua Zhi. "That’s why it’s better to be carefree and heartless. But Yan Ge probably won’t change easily. He decided at seventeen to help the Emperor safeguard the kingdom and share his burdens. Don’t you think he’s foolish?"
"He’s just too starved for affection. When someone treats him well, he gives them his whole heart."
"Starved for affection?" Shaoyao burst into laughter, rolling with mirth. "Yes, yes, starved for affection—Hua Hua, you’ve described it perfectly."
Wasn’t that exactly it? Hua Zhi gently ruffled Shaoyao’s hair. If he had never experienced love, it might have been bearable—he wouldn’t have known what he was missing. But he had once possessed so much, only to lose everything overnight. The Emperor’s concern became a sliver of light in his dark life, and he clung to it desperately to climb out of the abyss. That’s why he was so grateful, why he forged himself into iron and steel, bearing burdens that were never meant for him alone.
But people always change. Even sincerity, in the beginning, can be altered by external factors.
The carriage turned into an alleyway that didn’t resemble the deep lanes of grand mansions but rather reminded her of the southern part of the capital.
After winding through two more alleys, the carriage halted briefly. Soon, a side gate opened, and the carriage drove straight in. Before Hua Zhi could move after it stopped again, the curtain was abruptly pulled aside.
Hua Zhi tilted her head, a smug expression on her face, delighted at having startled someone with her mischief.
Gu Yanxi closed his eyes for a moment, his hands clenching into fists before relaxing. Without a single glance toward Shaoyao, he directly lifted Hua Zhi out of the carriage.With her heart full of anticipation for her brother's reaction upon seeing her face, Shaoyao widened her eyes. But seeing his current state, she couldn't muster the will to cause trouble. Pouting, she touched her face and decided to temporarily forgive her blind brother—no, her brother who abandoned his sister for beauty!
Gu Yanxi directly carried the person into the house—not the main hall, not the side room, but his own bedroom.
All sense of propriety and restraint forgotten, he only wanted to hold this person who seemed to have fallen from the sky tightly, to prove she wasn't an illusion born from his excessive longing.
The embrace was almost painful, but Hua Zhi seemed not to notice, returning the hug with all her strength.
After clinging together for a while, Gu Yanxi finally seemed to recover. Kissing A Zhi's forehead, he asked softly, "Why did you come so suddenly?"
"I came because I wanted to." Hua Zhi blinked innocently. "More shock or more joy?"
"Joy." Gu Yanxi pressed her hand against his chest. "Listen—it's beating so wildly with joy."
"Shock has the same effect."
"Nothing about your safety could shock me." Thinking of what happened in the capital, Gu Yanxi finally regained his usual composure. "I know you always plan thoroughly, but next time, don't use injury as a method. Even if the effect is worse, it doesn't matter."
"Just a tiny bit." Hua Zhi pinched her little finger to show how small. "Even if I lived another lifetime, I could never self-harm. I don't have the heart to bleed myself. Don't worry, it was just a little blood."
Gu Yanxi wanted to say more, but remembering it was his own family who forced A Zhi to this point, he felt any words would be superfluous. Better to wait until returning to the capital and hang that person up for a beating to vent his anger—they must bleed more than A Zhi did.
Setting this matter aside, Gu Yanxi remembered propriety between men and women and led her out of the room.
Shaoyao was squatting under the corridor outside. Seeing them emerge, she snorted heavily, turning her head away for emphasis—her emotions perfectly conveyed.
Hua Zhi suppressed a laugh and glanced at Yanxi. She certainly wouldn't help him coax her.
Gu Yanxi looked at this face so similar to his memories. He originally meant to say she looked better, but what came out was: "You look more and more like Mother."
Yes, like his mother, the former Ling Wangfei. Though not her biological child, her resemblance to her was even stronger than to her birth mother.
Shaoyao turned her head back, stunned. Her eyes blinked and blinked before tears streamed down.
Gu Yanxi walked over and pulled her up. "Why cry when I say you look like Mother? Who else could you resemble?"
Shaoyao pushed him away awkwardly, walked to Hua Zhi's side, and hugged her while silently crying.
Hua Zhi held her and looked up. "I'm a bit hungry."
Gu Yanxi glanced at Shaoyao and left in response.
Hua Zhi led her into the side hall, squeezing with the unresisting girl into a wide chair. "Why are you crying? Isn't this something to be happy about?"
"That was Auntie."
Hua Zhi froze. "You remember?""I remember a little bit, but I always took my medicine." Shaoyao nuzzled against Hua Hua's shoulder, acting coquettishly. "When I was little, I really liked Auntie. She smiled so beautifully, like a fairy. She treated me better than my own mother did—she would braid my hair, teach me to read, and tell the servants that I was the manor's young lady, not a secondary daughter. She never made me call her 'mother,' just let me call her Auntie like in ordinary families. She truly treated me as her own daughter. I even said I wanted to become a female general so I could protect her. But I never became a female general, and she... she's gone."
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